The following are my thoughts on the interesting (if not controversial) villain concoction they created for this film (filled with spoilers).

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:

Ok, so like most I had a hard time at first with the Killian/Mandarin twist. But this isn't the first time they've taken two pre-existing characters and combined them, making an amalgamation of the two that still represents both very well. They did this with Whiplash who was also essentially Crimson Dynamo. If you think about the fact that all the foreboding stuff Fake Mandarin said was still probably penned by Killian then that doesn't make it all as big a joke as it seemed initially. Fake Mandarin was just a mouthpiece. And a funny/entertaining one./ But at the end of the day Killian was Mandarin. And I'm cool with that.

Was anyone else expecting the whole Trevor decoy to be a decoy? I mean, I was expecting him to suddenly change back into the Mandarin character.

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:

I knew about him being an actor but I was shocked when I saw that he was a complete eejit and doofus.

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Highly unlikely. You'd have to completely ignore IM3 for that to happen. Like it or loathe it IM3 went the way it chose to. If there's to be any kind of follow up with the character then it should stay faithful to what has been established.

Personally I love how the film handled it, but sadly I don't think you can follow up with that character outside of perhaps referencing the events of IM3 like IM3 referenced the Avengers.

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I haven't seen Iron Man 3 yet, so I am really trying to keep an open mind and reserve judgement of the film until I get to see it on May 4th. However.....

based on spoilers I have read, I can understand why some fans would be truly upset. Now I am in no way suggesting this is not a great movie (maybe it's even their best), but that doesn't diminish how a fan feels when a character they care about is represented differently then how they percieve that character. I know it is how I felt when I saw Galactus being represented as a galactic storm cloud, (as he is one of my favorite characters from the comics). I was so pissed, and at that time I vowed I would never see another Fox Comic Book Movie. Especially, with Marvel making their own movies it seemed like we could trust that they would treat their own characters with the most respect. However, in Iron Man 2 they had the amalgrim Whiplash and Crimson Dynamo, which I saw as a serious mis-step for Marvel, but I figured while it was financially successful it was their most criticized movie to date, so I kind of felt that they learned their lesson about combining villians or changing them so dramatically. So, fast forward to Iron Man 3, and yeah it seems a little disappointing that they learned nothing and that it is just like Iron Man 2 all over again (at least as far as handling of the villian). Now I am not necearilly a huge fan of the Mandarin from the comics, but I do believe in respecting the source material. This does not mean I am looking for an exact or litteral translation of the character, such as the fu man chu and things that could be looked upon as racist, but with a major superheroes arch nemsis you would at least think that they would find it important to honor the characters basic look (which they did pretty well considering), motives, powers, and possibly be looking at how they can possibly incorporate him later into a sequel of sorts. I mean sure Mandarin is not on the scale of Loki in terms of popular villians within the Marvel Universe, but in essensce Mandarin is to Iron Man what Loki is to Thor, or even Red Skull is to Captain America, and yet from what I have read he did not get the same treatment or respect, and they even went as far as to make him appear like a joke. Also, I feel like Marvel should not only be looking to sell tickets for these movies, but towards the long haul by trying to get people interested in these character so they check out the comics. However, when you have a situation like this the person that sees the film goes to check out the comic and they see a very different character then what they seen on the film, and this could lead to them becoming disinterested. I think it is really a missed opportunity for them to get people into comics when they change the characters this dramatically from the source, so I don't get why they would do it. I realize the movies are big business, but the continued success of comics should also be extremely important to them, as there can really be a synergy created between the two medias. Anyways, I know it sounds like I am whining, but truth is I am a little angry because I feel like a hypocrite now, that I was so mad at FOX and now I feel like Marvel is doing the same thing. I wasn't going to go see the new Fantastic Four Reboot when it came out and was hoping it would revert back to Marvel, but with recent developments I think I could possibly eat crow by hoping it stays with FOX and by going to see it in the theater. However, as I said originally despite my rant, I will wait until after I have seen the movie to make a final decision about how I feel and then go from there.

Please know that the above comments are only my thoughts and if I have offended anyone that has seen the movie I apologize, I am just trying to get some stuff of my chest.

Surfer

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Wolvieboy17..... "It's slow and relelentless, like being beaten to death with a sponge."

The only thing I'll say Surfer, is that in my personal opinion the Mandarin was given a proper showing it was just spread over 2 people (Killain had the attitude, skills, and tattoos, and Kinglsey had the look and intimidation.)

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The only thing I'll say Surfer, is that in my personal opinion the Mandarin was given a proper showing it was just spread over 2 people (Killain had the attitude, skills, and tattoos, and Kinglsey had the look and intimidation.)

mkilban2, thanks for your comment and perhaps I am too quick to judge not having seen the actual film and I can admit that, but.....

I feel changing these characters in general is ultimately a bad move.

I mean I know many people think it is not a big deal to change some characters for the big screen, (and perhaps some minor changes do need to be done to make it work), but I feel it is easy for someone to say this when they don't have a personal connection to that specific character in the comics. However, they must consider somebody out there does have a love for the character, while to others he or she could even be their absolute favorite character, and to those people they are messing him or her up. So, to comic fans that think it is not a big deal, I would ask how they would feel if their favorite character was dramatically changed from the comic for their big screen debut? For me that was Galactus and I was not happy at all, and I think most fans would feel the same if there favorite character was not treated well on the big screen. I am just saying it is easy to say who cares about the changes, but when it effects a character your emotionally connected to then it matters. In the end though complaining or being upset won't change anything, (whats done is done), so I will wait for the film and I hope to be swayed by it's awesomeness.

Thanks again for your reply.

Surfer

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Wolvieboy17..... "It's slow and relelentless, like being beaten to death with a sponge."